Children in Need appeal for 2009

The campaign helps thousands of children each year

Hundreds of organisations are using grant money from Children in Need to help improve the lives of disadvantaged children and young people.

Despite the economic conditions, the 2008 Appeal raised a record breaking £37.8m which has helped more than 700 projects across the UK.

In Somerset more than £70,000 has been awarded to four projects in local grants.

This year, Friday, 20 November, marks the 30th BBC Children in Need Appeal.

Recipients of this year's funding include Home-Start West Somerset in Minehead which was awarded £24,000. This project will provide volunteers to support disadvantaged children and their families.

Somerset Rural Youth Project in Bridgwater was awarded £26,280 to help in their work to support young people who have been bullied.

Escape Support Group based in Taunton was awarded £5,000 to provide trips out and activities for disabled children and their families.

While Mentoring Plus Bath has been awarded £15,100 to help provide groups, activities and residential weekends as part of a mentoring programme to support disadvantaged young people, particularly those who are at risk of offending.

Pudsey does Strictly in Bridgwater

This year BBC Somerset was in Bridgwater presenting a day of live entertainment for BBC Children in Need.

The radio station invited people to join in with the fundraising and have fun with presenters Emma Britton and Jason Harrold at the Admiral Blake statue in the Cornhill.

More than a dozen local artists performed on the BBC Somerset Big Stage including the Hamp Community Junior School Choir and Samba Band, members of Bridgwater Operatic Society, and the Tone Valley Jazz Band.

Elvis tribute artist Tim Bassett sang live, together with local songwriter Sophie Morris from Bridgwater College, and Le Roc and Salsa dance teams from across Somerset competed for top honours in 'Pudsey Does Strictly'.

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Here's what some people got up to for Children in Need 2009:

Staff at Somerset Wildlife Trust raised £130 swopping wellies and anoraks for elegant evening gowns and tuxedos - although some members of staff preferred fur to finery. The day was organised by Michelle Osbourn from the Trust. She said: "Thanks to Children in Need the trust runs a special project supporting disadvantaged young people to explore wildlife so we are delighted to have raised some money for this year's appeal."
Somerset Wildlife Trust

Members of 815 B Section at RNAS Yeovilton completed a 24 hour cycleathon at midday today. The idea came from POAET Matt Appleyard and 20 or so cyclists took it in turns doing one hour stints covering a distance of 575 miles and hopefully raising a great deal of money for Children in need.
Matt Smith, Yeovil

My son's Yeovil college had a bad hair day and sold Pudsey biscuits they've made. My daughter and 4 of her friends washed the staff cars at her Taunton school as well as it being a designated mufti day for all the school for which all pupils pay for the privilege.
Jenny

I am a designer furniture/cabinet maker based in Somerset, and have just finished making a contemporary style rocking horse, the first of which I want to donate to the 2009 children in need appeal, I have never done anything for children in need before, but at the age of 35 think it's about time I started!! I spend all day listening to BBC Radio and want to give something back for all the hours of entertainment. This is something really special as it is the first one in my series and also with BBC permission would like to include a silver Pudsey that can be inlaid into it, making it the only one to have this special Pudsey. I am intending to put it up for auction. PLEASE PLEASE help me get the most money I can for this really special Horse!!! EVERY PENNY GOES TO CHILDREN IN NEED!! this year the NEED is greater than ever before.
Richard Fairbrother, Fairbrother.com

My name is Sarah, I work for a local company based in Ilminster called Dining Solutions Direct. We supply and sell high quality food products via of team of Sales Delivery Drivers. As a company and as individuals we are always wanting to help and support charity's where we can and in order to raise money for Children in Need we had a sponsored head shave. Between 3 and 6 of our Sales Team shaved their hair for the good cause. One gentleman in particular, Pete has very long hair along with a big beard which he shaved off!
Sarah Cottey, Ilminster

My father Vince Bratton (72 years old) did a musical playathon - i.e. playing the saxaphone, keyboard & harmonica (not necessarily all at the same time!) for as many hours as possible at Greinton Village Hall, Greinton (Somerset).
Sally Bratton, Greinton

Staff and pupils dressed up in pyjamas to raise for CIN at Brent Knoll Primary School in Brent Knowle.
Julie Weston

Somerset College did: fancy dress, Guitar Hero, sponge the staff in sticks, sponsored sleep-in and some students have been wearing pyjamas to the college all week to raise money.
Somerset College

Screwfix's call centre in Yeovil was transformed into a fundraising hub for the BBC's Children in Need appeal for the sixth successive year.
Staff from the call centre and all departments at Screwfix's headquarters shifted their focus from power tools to pledges for Pudsey.
The 100-strong team of volunteers worked side-by-side taking calls from viewers from 6pm and well into the early hours of Saturday morning, all in the name of charity.
Screwfix, Yeovil

We held two 'Burrowbridge Has Got Talent' contests, one for under 16's. The other talent contest was for adults.  We also held a raffle and an auction along with collecting money from motorists outside of the pub.  The event was optional fancy dress.
Lucy White, King Alfred Pub, Burrowbridge

The children at st john st francis school, Bridgwater, worked hard organising their spotty non-uniform day and mini market. All were busy baking cakes; collecting toys/books/comics; setting up stalls and making up imaginative games for them to all spend their pennies/pocket money at break time, all for raising money for children in need, as they realise how important the charity is.
S Baker, Bridgwater

Here at Asda Highbridge we unfortunately lost Pudsey bear and desperately needed to find him before Friday 20 November so we had a large treasure map at the front of the store. We asked the general public to put an X on the square that they think he was hiding behind, each square cost £1.00 and was put into pudsey's bucket. We managed to raise £6,000.
Sally Spuffard